“I’ve got a stash of Most Excellent cufflinks… I’d love some guidelines on when and where I can get away with rockin’ the French Cuffs.

Once upon a time, the only thing I knew about French Cuffs is what I learned from Mel Brooks’ “History of the World: Part I.”

Fortunately, since then, I have developed a more nuanced understanding.

Sadly, the cuffs are all that survives today from these stylish gents.

But first, a little background:

French cuffs burst onto the sartorial scene in a “life-imitates-art sort of way” when Alexander Dumas published The Three Musketeers in 1844. Pretty soon, every man in Europe was wearing his cuffs rolled back and fastened with a couple of decorative baubles.

To this day, while we credit the French with their eponymous cuffs, the French called them poignet Mousquetaire — Musketeer Wrists.

Wow. Who knew.

For the next hundred years, true gents rocked French Cuffs. This culminated with personalities like Sean Connery and FrankSinatra who brought the look to cinema, fusing stardom and style into a well-dressed masculine ideal. This set the standard for the next generation.

French Cuffs Today:

Unfortunately for the French Cuff enthusiasts of the world, in the 80s and 90s, many men began to idealize high-powered Wall Street executive types. The Wall Street Boss look was bad enough, but scores of imitators created a Bill Lumbergh archetype – middle managers with bad taste and chips on their shoulders. They wore cufflinks, contrast collars, suspenders, lurked around cubicle corners with their power-lingo, and pretty much ruined the French Cuff for everyone else.

The Return of the French Cuff:

The last ten years have seen a sartorial revival: ties and jackets have returned to the workplace and the pub, but slimmer, now, combining the formality of menswear with a youthful silhouette. Cufflinks, on the other hand, remain a throw-back accessory, mainly appearing at weddings and in the occasional boardroom. As a result, if you’re under the age of 50 and/or you are not a bank president, cufflinks can easily throw your look off-balance.

This doesn’t mean you cannot wear them, it just means you need to be aware of an important concept: “Flair-Up.”

To avoid looking like a stock-broker or a bar-mitzvah boy, lose the tie. Go ultra modern. Pair some minimalist cufflinks (like these grey or red cufflinks from BLOCK) with a neutral blazer and some slim chinos or slim, dark jeans. If you want to step up the flair, wear colored pants to matching the cufflinks (red or blue) but keep the shirt neutral and avoid any other loud accessories.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do stick to clean lines, simple colors, and simple construction.

Do match your cufflink color to another color you’re wearing – and match the level of formality to the rest of your outfit. ie Colored acrylic goes with colored chinos. Silver and semi-precious stone goes with dress pants and a blazer.

Avoid cufflinks featuring salvaged material: steam punk cufflinks, circuit board cufflinks, typewriter key cufflinks, or anything that, enlarged, would be a desk-toy. All of these are conversation pieces, and you should not be having any conversations about your cufflinks. Keep them understated.

Avoid large gold and silver cufflinks which say “mafia boss.” Leave this look to the pros. And leave them alone, while you’re at it.

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4 comments

Great breakdown of cufflinks! How do Sleeve Clips fit in? They are cufflinks for rolled up sleeves, so it’d be a combo of formal and casual. They were just on Kickstarter so the rules have yet to be written I guess. Take a look and let me know if I can wear these to work! Sleeveclips.com

Hi, Someone. I looked at the Sleeve Clips – it’s a cute idea, but to be totally honest with you, I don’t think they add a lot to the look. In fact, they seem a little out-of-place. I think the category confusion (as in “what is THAT?!) out-weighs the aesthetic benefit. Wear a great shirt and a styley tie and you won’t have any need for sleeve clips.